


People of Uruk

by paragonGamer



Category: Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms, Fate/stay night (Visual Novel), The Epic of Gilgamesh
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Alternate Universe - Dark, Gen, Prostitution, Slavery (mentioned), historical fiction - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-24
Updated: 2015-09-24
Packaged: 2018-04-23 03:51:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4861985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paragonGamer/pseuds/paragonGamer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Seemingly risen from the water’s embrace, former slave Amata enters the temple of Ishtar in Uruk a prostitute. Things are not as they seem. </p>
<p>[Historical fiction, set in ancient Mesopotamia. Dark!AU, not really connected to Fate at all, except for the end.]</p>
            </blockquote>





	People of Uruk

Where am I? It’s cold…and dark.

Wait, that’s right. I was on a boat, wasn’t I?

My fiancé. He was there, too.

Something happened, though. I can’t recall…

Got to remember…

…I’m sleepy.

Wait, I can’t sleep yet. I need to remember.

Re…member…

…

“I think I’m falling for you.” Those were his words. The he…

He…what?

He got shot. That’s right. He got assassinated, and I…

I was pushed over the railing.

I think I remember, now.

…

_I have a use for you._

_I want you to understand this. You were reborn to do a task for me. No other reason. Do not take this life I am giving you and throw it away._

_You must be cunning and quick witted if you are to do this right, as well as wisely make use of this other gift I will bestow upon you. If you fail me, be prepared for consequences._

_You are doing the world a wonderful deed, I assure you._

Who are you?

_I am Ishtar, and I am tired of being forgotten in this modern age._

-

A light. I wake, the sunbeam in my eyes moving to my arms as I sit up slowly. My name is Amata, a former slave that was accepted into the Temple of Ishtar as a temple prostitute in return for my freedom. I slowly let my name roll off my tongue, silently. I always liked how it sounded.

I slip out of bed, putting on my robes and moving to the window. It would be a while before Morning Prayer started, and there was no way I would get breakfast this early. Usually, the smell of sex still lingered in the halls around this time, and it made my stomach twist sharply whenever I encountered it, rendering me unable to eat. I learned that the first few weeks I was here, and promptly decided to wait in my room a bit before getting the first of my daily meals until it cleared out.

The stone acropolis shone in the pale, silvery light of dawn, the streets of sand shimmering as the wind moved over it. From here, I could see all the way to the king’s palace, the building made of shining, white marble and azure lapis, just like the depths of the ocean I once saw, long, long ago.

A knock at my door. I turned, and there was the head priestess, Mother Hazi. Her medium-length, black hair reached her shoulders, her eyes as brown as tiger’s eye. Her bronze skin contrasted perfectly with her white robes, a necklace around her neck featuring Ishtar’s symbol. She smiled at me, and beckoned me to come forth. I complied.

We walked through the halls of the temple, down the steps into the main room, then through another hallway into the dining room for the residents who lived there. I could see plates of food being put out still. It seemed nobody was here yet, or they had already finished. Most likely the latter, as there were some scraps of food on the floor. Disgusting.

Mother Hazi called to the chef and his assistants, shooing them from the room. Obviously, whatever the head priest wanted to talk to me about, it would be in private. A silence came over the mess hall as it emptied, and finally Mother Hazi spoke.

“Amata, what I am about to say must be kept secret, from all people except you, me, and Ishtar herself. Do you understand? If you refuse to keep secrets, then I suppose I could just select another.” My eyes widened at her words. A secret? What could this be about? And, if Ishtar was watching, then…

“I accept the vow of secrecy. What do you ask of me, Head Priestess?” I replied, eager to hear more.

“I received word from Ishtar. The king is to come here in a few days, looking for another woman to entertain him. I know that you are very skilled at that, and your beauty will surely appease him as well. But, I have a favor to ask of you.”

I nod.

“I want you to take this ceremonial dagger, and as the king hugs you close, to where he can’t see your hands, stab it through his neck. I have grown tired of how he treats the prostitutes of this temple, as nothing more than toys to use when he gets bored. I know of a boy who would be a great heir to his throne, if only Gilgamesh were out of the way. Do you accept this task, Amata? I know that Ishtar herself would be pleased if you did so, as she has been mocked by the king as well.”

My mouth must be hanging open in shock at this point, but I see that there is no other choice. What Mother Hazi says is true, as I have heard his harsh words from other prostitutes myself, as they wept softly in the dark from his roughness, my own comforting words of no assistance. All I can do is try to take their minds off of the king’s cruelty, if only for the night. By day they go to weep again, although only in their eyes can you see their sadness. I wanted to do something myself, for a long time, and now is finally my chance!

“Mother Hazi,” I say, my throat dried from anxiety, “I accept this task. I will present myself to King Gilgamesh, and bare myself for him, and take the dagger through his throat. I swear it so, upon Ishtar’s presence.” I take the dagger from her hands then, and hide it within the folds of my robes. Mother Hazi goes to find the chef and his assistants, and I go to eat, as our meeting is over. I am glad that Mother Hazi has picked me, and I can see she is as well. The cold fury in her eyes as she spoke of Gilgamesh, our king, is less now – quieted, but still there.

 

Five days pass, and our king arrives at the temple. He is beautiful, surely – most of his gene must be of the gods. I know though, he is still human, as there is unmistakable _longing_ in his eyes – not of women, but of someone else. Gods would not wish for what he is wishing for, they already have everything at all times. Humans are another story.

Gilgamesh walks over to me, sizing me up with eyes of a predator. He hungers with lust, and I do my best to look appetizing. My robes swirl in my dance, slipping slightly off my shoulders and bearing them to him. I wink, and he is enchanted. Perfect.

The king cups my face with one hand, smiling evilly. “This one,” he whispers. The other dancers part away. I smile, and lead him to a bedroom – not mine, but he doesn’t know that. The dagger is waiting for my hands, underneath the pillows. He doesn’t know that either.

Gilgamesh lays down first. Good. He tells me to come here, and I comply. I take off my robes and move towards him, and he seems discontent below me at first, but changes his mind soon after.

A patchwork of grunts and moans fill the room, as he rocks his hips in tune with mine. He kisses and bites, and I grip the sheets harshly. The act is pleasurable, but leaves me empty. I gain no joy from this, only temporary ecstasy. And even then, it’s unfulfilling. He holds me tight, and pulls me close. My hands are gripping his back at the moment, which I use to my advantage. _This is the moment you’re waiting for,_ a voice hisses in my head, _do it now._

I reach for the pillows, and uncover one, two, there it is! The dagger lies in wait, and I grab it, making no sound. I point the blade towards his head. And bring it up to his neck…

I hesitate.

Something inside me is scared of killing him. I realize this whole plot was foolish. If he dies here, then the people will notice. They’ll take revenge. _Don’t doubt yourself, kill him now!_ I raise the dagger again, and…

Stab it into the bed.

He jolts suddenly, at the motion, and sees the weapon. His eyes widen, and I take myself off of him. I place myself on the ground, kneeling, naked, and tell him the truth.

“I am sorry, my king. I was about to commit an unforgivable sin that nobody can undo. It was Mother Hazi who ordered it, she wished to see you die because of how you have been treating our prostitutes and for your remarks against Ishtar.”

Gilgamesh pauses, and thinks this over. I practically see the wheels turning in his head, the stream of thoughts flowing in-between them. It is a long silence before he speaks again.

“I commend you for your honesty, but I believe you do know the punishment for treason, fully carried out or not, is execution, no? I suppose there is that other mongrel to take care of, however…Listen well, whore of Ishtar, for I have a plan.”

I listen to his words, and clothe myself after. I am going to die for my treason anyway, I know this. But before I do. There is one final task I must carry out.

 

“So? Is the king dead?”

It is night, and the moon lights the room through the windows. Shadows darken every hall, but this is fine. Nobody can see us here.

“Yes, he his. The blood on my dagger proves it.” I take out the blade form my robes, and the crimson liquid shines in the moonlight. It looks black, like the water at the bottom of the ocean. Mother Hazi steps forward, and her eyes shine with approval. She comes forth to embrace me, congratulate me.

Her mistake.

I hear a gasp has her chest starts to spill her lifeblood – it spreads from her wound all over her torso in seconds. The red stains my robes, too, and she stumbles backward. My blade is still in my hand. Blood drips from her mouth as well, I must have punctured a lung.

“Why…Amata? Didn’t you-” A cough, and more blood surges forward, from both openings, “Didn’t you kill him? Why are you…betraying me now?”

“I believe you are mistaken. I am not who you think I am.” He smiles, as his original voice returns to him. The deceptively female form _shimmers_ , and Gilgamesh is back to his original appearance and height as he steps forward. Mother Hazi’s eyes widen.

“Wh…at…”

“I was surprised, too, at first. She came up with the idea, though. Not me. I suppose witchcraft is useful in its own right. Or, magecraft, as she called it. That’s kind of a weird word, though, ‘mage’. Must be what those mongrels are calling themselves now. Doesn’t matter, though, she’ll still be executed for treason by dawn.” He smiles wickedly. “Erased form the world, just like you, disgusting vermin. How do you feel, knowing your plan for revenge is failed?”

The head priestess doesn’t get to answer, for in the next second her forehead is sliced in two by Gilgamesh’s own blade. Her corpse collapse on the ground, and blood and brain matter spill out onto the floor.

“Disgusting.”

He turns, surprised, as he didn’t hear me approach. I quickly step up to him, steal a kiss, and stab him through with a blade stolen from the altar. His eyes widen at what I’ve done, and he falls backwards, sliding off my weapon on his own. He sees me, truly, for the first time, as I am not disguised by magic anymore. My beauty was never actually something to admire, and he knows that now. My body is still slightly blue from the coldness of the ocean, my lips cracked and bleeding whenever I open them. My hair is drenched, and my skin is bloated from overexposure to water. He stares in horror as I laugh.

“You…what the hell are you?” He yells, and he is scared. I know he is. So I tell him the truth.

“I am a dead woman, from a world where everything runs on smoke, blood, and money. The streets are no longer paved in gold, but in tar, and buildings are grey as the stone from which their made. And you know what? This city, this glorious city of Uruk, _is no longer a part of it_.” I laugh again, reaching my sword up above his chest. I tell him one last thing.

“But don’t worry, I intend to change that. Ishtar sends her regards.”

And then Gilgamesh is part of the world no more.

 

The streets of Uruk are busy, full of merchants and commoners alike. I view them all from my palace, made of shining, white marble and azure lapis, just like the depths of the ocean I once saw, long, long ago. I stand on the balcony, taking in the sun as the streets fill up with more and more people.

An attendant comes over to me, and whispers on my ear. I nod, once, and walk away from the scene. There are more important things to do, now.

I lean over the microphone stand and begin…

 

“People of Uruk, this is your Queen speaking.”

**Author's Note:**

> warnings for assassination attempt(s), major character death, reincarnation, religious themes, & slight body horror  
> \--
> 
> bam! plot twist, betcha didnt see that coming, huh? jk  
> anyway, i hope you enjoy this fic! worked really hard on it, and did a bit of research to make sure i got certain things right. one problem i had was that it /said/ that ishtar's holy city is ururk, but didnt list any temples there, so i just assumed there would be one, considering. if i got it wrong, then i guess its okay because PLOT. heh.


End file.
